ERUPTIVE FEVERS. 



193 



the top of each pimple. At first the vesicle is whey-coloured ; 

 but soon becomes white, and stands out like a little globule on 

 the top of the pimple. In two or three days, these globules 

 break, or are rubbed off; and are succeeded by small crusts, 

 which soon after fall off in small scales. While one set of 

 pimples takes this course, another set succeeds ; so that the 

 disease often continues upon the skin for many days together. 

 Sometimes when one crop of this eruption has disappeared, an- 

 other, after some interval, is produced. And it has been 

 further observed, that in some persons there is such a tendency 

 to this disease, that they have been affected with it several times 

 in the course of their lives. 



DCCXVIII. This disease is said to affect both sexes, and 

 persons of all ages and constitutions ; but it has been observed 

 at all times, to affect, especially and most frequently, lying-in 

 women. 



DCCXIX. This disease is often accompanied with violent 

 symptoms, and has frequently proved fatal. The symptoms 

 attending it are, however, very various. They are, in one or 

 other instance, all the several symptoms attending febrile dis- 

 eases ; but I cannot find that any symptom or concourse of 

 symptoms are steadily the same in different persons, so as to 

 furnish any specific character to the disease. When the dis- 

 ease is violent, the most common symptoms are phrenitic, 

 comatose, and convulsive affections, which are also symptoms 

 of all fevers treated by a very warm regimen. 



DCCXX. While there is such a variety of symptoms ap- 

 pearing in this disease, it is not to be expected that any one 

 particular method of cure can be proposed : and accordingly 

 we find, in different writers, different methods and remedies 

 prescribed; frequent disputes about the most proper; and 

 those received and practised by some, opposed and rejected by 

 others. 



DCCXXI. I have thus given an account of what I have 

 found delivered by authors who have considered the white mi- 

 liary fever as an idiopathic disease ; but, now, after having often 

 observed the disease, I must say that I doubt much if it ever 

 be such an idiopathic as has been supposed, and I suspect that 

 there is much fallacy in what has been written on the subject. 



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